Fuel Crisis Expands in Russia After Targeted Drone Attacks
After a series of targeted attacks by Ukrainian drones, the gasoline shortage in Russia, which was initially observed only in some remote regions, began to spread rapidly, covering more and more areas and significantly complicating fuel supplies.
The Gaze reports on it, referring to the Economic Pravda, citing The Moscow Times.
At the end of August, fuel shortages were reported in remote regions of Russia — Transbaikalia, Primorye, the Kuril Islands, and the temporarily occupied Crimea. However, by September, the problem had spread to 10 more regions, including Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, Samara, Ulyanovsk, Penza, Rostov, and Astrakhan regions, as well as Kalmykia and Tatarstan.
The gasoline shortage is also being felt in the Far East, particularly in the Amur, Magadan, and Sakhalin regions, as well as in Khabarovsk Krai, Yakutia, the Jewish Autonomous Region, and Chukotka.
Due to problems with the supply of A-92 and A-95, some independent gas stations have temporarily closed or are operating irregularly, which affects the availability of fuel for local residents.
According to experts, the problem was initially local in nature, but now the shortage is gradually spreading to the European part of Russia. They explain this not only by logistical difficulties, but also by the consequences of Ukrainian drone attacks on the infrastructure that supplies fuel.
The Kremlin and regional governments attribute fuel supply problems to seasonal and technical difficulties, ignoring the large-scale strikes by Ukrainian drones on oil refining infrastructure.
In particular, in Sevastopol, the shortage of gasoline is attributed to the influx of tourists and sea deliveries of fuel, and in the Far East, to logistics and weak retail infrastructure. Some officials also accuse citizens of creating artificial hype by stockpiling fuel cans.
At the same time, Ukrainian drone strikes have significantly affected the operation of oil refineries. According to Reuters, in August 2025, about 23% of Russian oil refinery capacity was idle, 17% of which was due to drone attacks. Large enterprises in the Samara region, Volgograd, Saratov, and Ryazan were temporarily shut down.
As The Gaze informed earlier, Ukrainian unmanned systems targeted Rosneft’s Ryazan Oil Refining Company overnight, striking one of Russia’s largest refineries and disrupting a key hub of its fuel industry.